Merck Must Face Lawsuit Saying Shingles Vaccine Caused Shingles

Merck & Co. failed to shake a Florida woman’s suit alleging she got shingles from its Zostavax shingles vaccine, as a federal court found fact questions exist concerning whether she timely sued the drugmaker.

Emily Sansone received the vaccine Sept. 17, 2007. Several days later, she developed pain in her left eye and a rash on her face near her right eye.

Sansone’s lawsuit is one of about 2,000 pending in federal multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Her case was selected as a potential test trial in the Zostavax MDL.

Her ophthalmologist ...